Best Samsung Phones to Buy, From the A17 to the S26 Ultra

Two Galaxy A phones are the Samsungs to buy. The Galaxy A37 5G is $489.99 on Samsung’s US store, ₹46,999 on Samsung India’s and from about ₦410,000 in Nigeria. On a tighter budget, the Galaxy A17 5G is $269.99, ₹27,499 or about ₦250,000.

Oscar Frank, who runs this site, bought the Galaxy A07, A17, A27, A37 and A57 out of pocket and used all five, so those two picks are first-hand. The comparison of this year’s Galaxy A phones has the detail and the photos.

The Galaxy S, FE and Z phones are judged on what Samsung states on its own pages. On those figures the Galaxy S26 FE, at $699.99, is the cheapest of this year’s phones with a telephoto camera and seven years of updates, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra, at $1,399.99, leaves nothing out.

Some links on this page go to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

What to buy at each price

At Samsung’s US prices, under $300 means the Galaxy A17 5G. At about $500 it is the Galaxy A37 5G, and this is where most people should stop. About $700 gets the Galaxy S26 FE, for the zoom camera and the extra year of updates. About $1,000 gets the Galaxy S26 if you want a small phone. If size does not matter, the 256GB FE leaves $200 in your pocket. At $1,400 it is the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Under ₦200,000, the Galaxy A07 5G is the only one of the phones Oscar bought, at about ₦170,000. The A17, the better phone, is about ₦250,000. Under ₹30,000 it is the Galaxy A17 5G, which Samsung India sells from ₹27,499. Under ₹20,000, Samsung India lists the Galaxy A07 at ₹13,499 and the newer A08 at ₹18,499.

If none of these fits, see what the same money buys elsewhere among phones under $500 from other makers.

Prices in dollars, rupees and naira

The dollar figures are list prices on Samsung’s US store for the smallest storage size. They have gone up. Samsung has raised its Galaxy A prices since those phones launched, and each S26 phone now lists at $100 more than the launch price in Samsung’s own announcement. The rupee figures are what Samsung India’s store charges. Samsung’s Africa site shows the phones with no prices, so the naira column covers only the five Galaxy A phones Oscar bought, at the prices paid or seen in Nigerian shops.

Samsung’s US buy pages were also taking $100 to $300 off most S26 and Z8 models with no trade-in. Those offers change often, so open the buy page on Samsung’s store before you decide.

Camera, games, a stylus or a first phone

The Galaxy S26 Ultra has Samsung’s best camera on Samsung’s figures: a 200MP main camera, a 50MP ultra-wide and two telephoto cameras at 3x and 5x. No other Samsung has both a 200MP main camera and a 5x telephoto. It is the only choice for a stylus as well.

Games point to the S26 Ultra again. Samsung gives it the Snapdragon chip on its US, Indian, African and UK pages, a 5,000mAh battery and a redesigned vapour chamber for cooling. The game settings are explained in Samsung’s Gaming Hub and Game Booster.

A first phone, or one for a child or an older parent, is the job for the Galaxy A07. To keep a phone longest, buy any S26 or the S26 FE. Samsung promises those seven Android upgrades and seven years of security updates, against six of each on this year’s Galaxy A phones.

Galaxy A: where the value is

These are Oscar’s verdicts on the five, taken from the comparison linked above.

Buy the Galaxy A37 5G. It has a 120Hz Super AMOLED screen, IP68 water resistance and 45W charging, and Oscar puts it at about 90% of the A57 for clearly less money. Samsung Galaxy A37 5G on Amazon

The Galaxy A17 5G is the budget pick. A Super AMOLED screen and a stabilised main camera at this price are the reasons. Samsung Galaxy A17 5G on Amazon

The Galaxy A07 is fine as a first phone or a spare, and nothing more. The screen is an LCD. The 5G version has a 6,000mAh battery, and even this phone gets six years of updates. Samsung Galaxy A07 on Amazon

Skip the Galaxy A27 5G at today’s price. It costs close to what the A37 does, with a weaker water rating (IP64) and a 5MP ultra-wide camera. The Galaxy A57 5G is the best A phone Samsung has made, and poor value. It shares the A37’s battery size, charging speed, water rating and update promise, for $110 more on Samsung’s US store.

Samsung has since added the Galaxy A08, A18 and A07s. They arrived after the comparison was done, so they are not ranked here.

Galaxy S26 FE, the cut-price S phone

Samsung gives the S26 FE a 6.7-inch 120Hz screen that reaches 1,900 nits, a 4,900mAh battery, IP68 water resistance and the same seven-year update promise as the dearer S26 phones.

It is $100 more than the Galaxy A57. That $100 buys a 3x telephoto camera, wireless charging and a seventh year of updates, none of which Samsung lists for the A57. Storage is the catch: $699.99 gets 128GB, and the 256GB version is $799.99. Samsung Galaxy S26 FE on Amazon

Last year’s Galaxy S25 FE is still listed at $649.99 with the older Exynos 2400 and the same battery size, but only a Verizon version was in stock on Samsung’s US store. Samsung India sells it from ₹59,999.

Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra

All three have a screen that peaks at 2,600 nits, IP68 water resistance and seven years of updates. Samsung has begun moving them from One UI 8.5 to One UI 9.

The Galaxy S26, at $999.99, is the small one, at 6.3 inches and 167g. Its 4,300mAh battery and 25W charging are the lowest figures of any S phone here. Samsung Galaxy S26 on Amazon

The Galaxy S26 Ultra, at $1,399.99, has a 200MP main camera, two telephoto cameras, a built-in S Pen, 60W charging and a Privacy Display that Samsung says is the first built into a phone. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra on Amazon

We would skip the Galaxy S26+, at $1,199.99. It puts the same cameras behind a bigger, sharper 6.7-inch screen, with a 4,900mAh battery and 45W charging. But it sits $200 above the S26 and $200 below the Ultra, and the second $200 buys far more than the first.

The S26 has competition from below as well. The 256GB S26 FE is $200 cheaper than the 256GB S26 and has the bigger battery and faster charging. The S26 answers with a newer chip, a brighter screen and a smaller body.

Galaxy Z Flip8, Z Fold8 and Z Fold8 Ultra

Buy the Z Flip8 for the pocket and the Z Fold8 for the big screen. The Flip8, at $1,199.99, folds in half to pocket size, with a 4.1-inch screen on the outside, and weighs 180g. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip8 on Amazon

The Z Fold8, at $1,899.99, has a new, wider shape that opens to a 7.6-inch screen in a 4:3 ratio. At 201g Samsung calls it its lightest Fold. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 on Amazon

The Z Fold8 Ultra, at $2,099.99, is the larger Fold, with an 8-inch screen inside, the 200MP camera, a 3x telephoto and a 5,000mAh battery. It weighs 215g, and it is for people who want the 200MP camera on a foldable and will pay $200 more for it.

Read the figures before paying for the fold. The Flip8 costs the same as the S26+ and has a smaller battery, slower charging and no telephoto camera. All three foldables are rated IP48, a lower dust rating than the IP68 on the S phones. Samsung’s own pages say neither Fold8 supports the S Pen.

Samsung’s US store also lists last year’s Z Fold7, Z Flip7 and Z Flip7 FE, and the 10-inch Z TriFold at $2,899. Almost all of that stock was marked out of stock.

Specs of all twelve phones

Samsung’s current phones come in four lines: Galaxy A (cheap to mid-priced), Galaxy S (flagships), FE (a cut-price S) and Galaxy Z (foldables). Every display here is 6.3 inches or larger, and every one from the A17 up is an AMOLED panel.

The chip depends on where you buy. Samsung’s US pages give the S26, S26+ and Z Flip8 the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy. Its pages for India, Africa and the UK give the same three phones Samsung’s own Exynos 2600. The S26 Ultra and both Fold8 phones are Snapdragon on all of those pages. Samsung does not name the chip in the A07 5G, so that one comes from GSMArena’s listing.